The University of Bath and SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre are collaborating on a project to identify the most efficient conditions for the optimum performance of gasoline particulate filters (GPFs), to help minimize vehicle impact on the environment. The ‘GPF Burn rate and Low Temperature Reactivity’ project will last 14...
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Eaton will supply a TVS (Twin Vortices Series) air pump to manage airflow in the demonstration of the Achates Power two-stroke opposed-piston engine (OP Engine) at the upcoming Internal Combustion Engine Fall Technical Conference in San Diego. The Eaton device for the opposed piston two-stroke device is a scavenging pump,...
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Connected and communicating vehicles are now the norm. Navigation systems regularly update their maps and show directions using satellite data and drivers make phone calls while driving. In the future, data exchange will play an even greater role in road transport, not least to improve road safety. However, new options...
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Through its motion sickness research, Jaguar Land Rover has created an algorithm that generates a wellness score for each passenger. This can be used to personalize a vehicle’s driving and cabin settings automatically to reduce the effects of feeling car sick by up to 60%. Jaguar Land Rover says that...
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BorgWarner, a leader in clean and efficient solutions for combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles, is supplying its best-in-class EGR system to a major global automaker across different regions of the world. Featured in one of the automaker’s engines, BorgWarner’s solution will reduce NOx emissions for several diesel vehicles, helping them...
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The City of Westminster and operator Veolia have ordered a retrofit of 92 Refuse Collection Vehicles (RCVs) for the upcoming Ultra-low Emission Zone in London. As the first Euro VI RCV fleet retrofit, the combination of Amminex, a Faurecia company (earlier post), and Eminox technology (earlier post) has removed the...
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Kia Motors and Hyundai Motor plan to introduce solar roof charging technology on selected Hyundai Motor Group vehicles. Electricity-generating solar panels will be incorporated into the roof or the hood of vehicles, and will support internal combustion, hybrid and battery electric vehicles with additional electrical power, increasing fuel efficiency and...
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The Volvo Group—a global manufacturer of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines, but not Volvo Cars—has reported that it has detected that an emissions control component used in certain markets is degrading more quickly than expected, which could cause the engines to exceed emissions limits for nitrogen...
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EU-funded researchers have developed an innovative climate control system (CCS) that extends the range of electric vehicles while enhancing passenger comfort. At present a substantial amount of energy is required to run the CCS within electric vehicles, creating a major drain on the battery and limiting the range of the...
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ZF has secured contracts for its dual pinion steering systems with three domestic Chinese manufacturers. ZF’s pinion drive electric steering system delivers enhanced fuel economy, advanced functions and will be a key contributor to automated driving. The dual pinion EPS mechanical configuration is based around a steering rack carrying two...
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Aisin Seiki Co. and Denso Corporation have reached a basic agreement to establish a new joint venture company to develop and sell electrification driving modules. The company will be capitalized with the participation ratio of Aisin 50% and Denso 50%. The two companies also reached a basic agreement with JTEKT...
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For a fully-electric racing car like the record-breaking Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak (earlier post), the weight of the battery is especially important—it is the heaviest individual component, and each increase in weight has a detrimental effect on the car’s performance. Volkswagen Motorsport engineers sought to keep the batteries as...
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Volvo Cars has introduced a new Polestar-developed software upgrade that increases torque distribution to the rear wheels of Volvo cars equipped with all-wheel drive (AWD) for more dynamic driving. The optimization software, developed by Volvo Car Group’s new electric performance brand Polestar, increases the amount and frequency of torque distributed...
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Kia Motors corporation unveiled its next-generation Separated Sound Zone (SSZ) technology that allows each passenger of a vehicle to experience an audio stream tailored to their individual needs, including music, hands-free phone calls, and vehicle alerts, while maintaining a headphone-free social space where passengers can converse freely. SSZ technology has...
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The Audi e-tron prototype combines power, efficiency and range. With a system output of up to 300 kW, the full-size SUV with a fully electric drive accelerates from zero to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in less than six seconds. In the WLTP test cycle, it covers more than 400 kilometers...
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The all-new Cadillac XT4 compact luxury SUV that is coming to China later this month features the all-new General Motors TriPower propulsion system that incorporates multiple innovative technologies, and that is also deployed on the Silverado with a 2.7-liter engine. Based on an optimized single-cylinder architecture design, the XT4’s all-new...
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Developed for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), BorgWarner’s innovative Exhaust Heat Recovery System (EHRS) can improve fuel economy by up to 8.5% and reduce emissions significantly. The EHRS enters production later this year for vehicles from a major North American automaker. By using the heat...
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Tier-1 supplier Hyundai Mobis has developed an electric power steering system which uses the redundant control mode that takes advantage of two electronic circuits during autonomous driving to maintain normal steering capabilities under any circumstances. The system is an advanced technology with no case of mass-production as of yet. The...
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Bosch and Daimler have selected and signed an agreement with NVIDIA as a supplier for the artificial intelligence (AI) platform needed to implement automated driving in cities. AI is an important building block in for a fully automated and driverless vehicle network of several individual ECUs (Electronic control units). Under...
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Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA), Aquantia, Bosch, Continental and NVIDIA have formed the Networking for Autonomous Vehicles (NAV) Alliance to drive the ecosystem development required for the next generation of Multi-Gig Ethernet networking in vehicles. The development of autonomous driving is creating a need for a new breed of in-vehicle...
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Power management company Eaton is addressing increasing demand for high-voltage electrified vehicle technologies with the creation of its new eMobility business. eMobility is poised to capitalize on a global vehicle electrification market projected to grow to 15 million pure battery-electric vehicles and another 30 million hybrids, from mild to plug-in,...
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Corning Incorporated’s Environmental Technologies business reached a significant production milestone at its Kaiserslautern, Germany manufacturing facility with the production of its 1 millionth Corning DuraTrap GC gasoline particulate filter (GPF) for automotive emissions control. The facility launched an expansion effort in 2016 for production of these ceramic particulate filters, engineered...
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ZF has introduced a new eAMT (electrified Automated Manual Transmission) technology for the hybridization of front-transverse vehicles. The eAMT integrates the company’s electric axle drive system (eVD) and an automated manual transmission (AMT) into one system. The transmission actuator and the electric rear axle operate together with intelligent interaction. This...
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BMW has selected TTTech Auto, a high-tech company specializing in leading safety software and hardware platforms for automated driving, as its development partner for level 3 and 4 automated driving functions. TTTech Auto will contribute its extensive cross-industry software and functional safety experience to this project. As we develop a...
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In-wheel electric drive company Protean Electric announced the completion of a $40-million equity investment as the initial closing of its Series E funding round. The investor group is led by Weifu High-Technology Group Co., Ltd., a leading diversified automotive component manufacturer, and Oak Investment Partners, Protean’s charter investor and long-established,...
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Dearman has launched a partnership with UK retail giant Marks & Spencer, as the retailer seeks to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its chilled deliveries. M&S will lease a dual compartment Dearman Hubbard transport refrigeration unit (TRU), on a refrigerated semi-trailer, to be operated out of its Hemel Hempstead...
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Tenneco, one of the world’s leading designers, manufacturers and distributors of Ride Performance and Clean Air products and technology solutions for diversified markets, signed a definitive agreement to acquire Federal-Mogul, a leading global supplier to OEMs and the aftermarket. Tenneco is acquiring Federal-Mogul from Icahn Enterprises L.P. for a total...
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At the New York International Auto Show, Nissan revealed the 2019 Altima. The sixth-generation of the best-selling mid-size sedan features two new powerplants, including the advanced variable compression unit first introduced in the Infinit QX50 (earlier post); the first available Intelligent All-Wheel Drive in a Nissan sedan in the US;...
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A team at the University of Waterloo has developed a novel variable valve actuation (VVA) system, optimized to pursue minimum energy consumption and minimum sensitivity of the valve lift to cycle-to-cycle variations of engine pressure. The product of a decade of research, this patented system could improve fuel efficiency by...
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Volkswagen has developed and deployed a gasoline engine that offers diesel-like fuel economy but is significantly cheaper to buy. Currently applied in the new Golf and Golf Variant (earlier post), the 1.5 TSI ACT BlueMotion delivers 96 kW / 130 PS with combined fuel consumption of 4.8 l/100 km (49...
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A common approach to reducing NOx emissions from diesel engines is the use of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR); the system converts NOx to nitrogen and water via the addition of ammonia. However, SCR only delivers satisfactory results at an exhaust gas temperature well above 200 ˚C. In a cold start,...
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Secondary air systems are used to reduce gasoline engine emissions by accelerating catalytic converter heat-up. Pierburg GmbH has now further developed the associated secondary air blower and provided it with a speed-controlled motor. The latter allows secondary air injection across a much wider engine map range and hence, at any...
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Toyota Motor Corporation has developed a new continuously variable transmission (CVT) featuring a launch gear; a new 6-speed manual transmission; a new 2.0-liter engine with 40% thermal efficiency (41% in hybrid applications); a new 2.0-liter hybrid system; and new 4WD systems—one for gasoline-engined cars, one for hybrids—based on the Toyota...
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New analysis of V2X (vehicle to everything) conducted by ABI Research finds that the cost of implementing DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communication) above cellular communications is expected to be $13.50 to $15 lower per Telematics Control Unit than implementing a C-V2X (CellularV2X) solution. The global automotive industry has been extensively comparing...
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Hyundai Mobis will begin mass-producing iMEB (integrated MOBIS Electronic Brake) and RSPA (Remote Smart Parking Assist) systems respectively at its Cheonan plant and Jincheon plant in Korea. Hyundai Mobis is working to elevate its status from a late starter to a global leader in braking and parking assist technologies. The...
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NVIDIA and Continental are partnering to create AI (artificial intelligence) self-driving vehicle systems built on the NVIDIA DRIVE platform, with a planned market introduction starting in 2021 for Level 3 functionality. The partnership will enable the production of AI computer systems that scale from automated Level 2 features through full...
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Punch Powertrain, a Belgium-based full-system supplier of fuel-efficient powertrains including transmissions and plug-in hybrid and battery-electric systems, is acquiring France-based power electronics expert Apojee. Apojee has customers in the German and French automotive industry (both OEMs and Tier 1s), as well as in motorsports (inverters for Formula E and for...
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A bespoke development of GKN’s coaxial eAxle powers the rear wheels of the LEVC (London EV Company, formerly known as London Taxi Company)’s electrified TX model. GKN Driveline launched its coaxial eAxle in its first application across Volvo’s range of T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrids, picking up an Automotive News...
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GKN Driveline announced that its order book for electric driveline (eDrive) technologies hit a record £2 billion (US$2.8 billion) by the end of 2017 following a series of significant program wins with major global automakers. Sales, which were previously forecast to rise from £33 million (US$45.7 million) in 2017 to...
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Toyota unveiled the new fifth-generation Avalon at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Avalon received an all-encompassing makeover by Toyota’s US-based design, engineering, and manufacturing entities at Calty Design Research Inc. (Calty) in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Toyota Motor North America Research and Development (TMNA R&D) in Saline, Michigan;...
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At CES, Cisco and Hyundai Motor Company announced the coming production of a next-generation, hyperconnected car. Hyundai will feature this new in-vehicle network in their premium 2019 vehicles. In 2016, Cisco and Hyundai reported plans to develop a vehicle with a new approach to communication. (Earlier post.) The companies said...
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For the new i3s electric vehicle (earlier post), BMW not only the increased output of the motor but also developed an innovative traction control system adapted specifically to the instantaneous power deliver of the BMW eDrive system. BMW has now announced that it will use the new i3s traction control...
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Meritor, Inc., a leading global supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking and aftermarket solutions for commercial vehicle and industrial markets, has made a strategic investment in TransPower, a provider of electrification technologies for large commercial vehicles. (Earlier post, earlier post.) Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. California-based TransPower supplies integrated...
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